Automatic steering and stabilizing apparatus for aircraft.



G NORDSTROM.

AUTOMATIC STEERING AND STABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. l9lfi.

Patented May 7,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l G NORDSTROM.

AUTOMATIC STEERING AND S-TABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION men mm. 20. new.

1,264,966. Patented May 7, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

G- NORDSTROM.

AUTOMATIC STEERING AND STABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20. 1916.

1,264,966. Patented May 7, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

G NORDSTROM.

AUTOMATIC STEERING AND STABILIZING APPARATUS FOR AIRCRAFT.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20, I916.

Patented May 7,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

GUSTAVE NOBD STBOM, 0F WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA.

AUTOMATIC. STEERING ANDSTAIBILIZING APPARATUS FOR AIRCRAFT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

- Patented May 7, 1918.

Application filed nmh 20,1910. Serial no. stair.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, GUSTAVE NoRns'rRoM, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada, residing at the city of Winnipeg, in the Province of Manitoba, in the Dominion of Canada,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Steerin and Stabilizing Apparatus for Aircra of which the following is a specification.

This invention refers to steering and. stabilizing apparatus and while the invention is well adapted for use in other types of air craft I have preferred to show it 1n connection with a structure of aerial torpedo form,

as this type of vessel,carrying no passengers, is well adapted to illustrate the complete capability of the apparatus to meet all the requirements-of steering and stabilizing without the necessity of human intervention.

The objects of the invention are first to provide automatic means whereby the constancy of the planes of rapidly spinning yroscopes is made use of to maintain the stability in all directions, of an air craft; second, to provide automatic means whereby 1 the constancy of the parallelism of the planes of the axes of a, rapidly rotating gyroscope and of the earth are made use of to maintain'the vessel upon a predetermined direct course; 1 third, to provide means whereby the wings. of the vessel may be 7 banked upon the taln'ng of a curve; fourth,

to provide means whereby the vessel may be caused to follow various courses other than direct, such for instance as a gradually ascending spiral, or a gradually ascending or larly 'pointe views.

descending direct course; and fifth, to provide means whereby, upon stoppage of the engine from any cause, the operation of the apparatus is immediately and automatically taken care of b other means. These and certain other ob ects of the invention, which will be'developed as the description proceeds, I attain by the means first set out in the followin specification, then particuout in the appended. claims and fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, and in which similar characters of'reference refer to similar arts throughout the different In t hese Figure- 1 is a side elevation of an aerial torpedo partly in section to show the positions of the various in the interior thereo Fig. 2 is a front elevation showing the wing warping connections.

F 1g. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus showing the compasses by which the course 'of the vessel is determined.

Fig. 4 is a cross-section of the interior of the vessel showing the apparatus from the front as taken on the line 44 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the gyroscopic apparatus taken on the line 55 in Fig.

Fig. 6 is a sectional plan view on the hue 66 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is a front View of the electro-magnetic steering control mechanism.

Fig. 8 is a section of the same on the hne 8- 8 in Fig. 7.

Fi 9 is a sectional view of the same on the hue 9-9 in Fig. 8 and looking forward.

Fig. 10 is a profile of the mechanism used to compel an ascending or descending course of the vessel.

Fig. 11 is a detail of the wing warping earing. Fig. 12 is a face view of one of the spiral gears used to connect the wing warping connections with the power.

Fig. 13 is a view from above of the electromagnets used to move the wing warping apparatus into operation. r

Fig. 14' is a wiring diagram showing the circuits in whichthe various operative parts of the apparatus are connected.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of the electro-barmagnets used to assist the gyrosooplc apparatus to maintain the constancy of it's direction.

In the draw 1 indicates the body of the aerial torp gg having wings 2 of the warping-tip type. A multl-piston eng1ne 1s mounted in the body of the torpedo with its cylinders 3 projecting beyond the skin thereof tit;5 bf air cooled. 11 5 t th A sha carryin a rope er a a e front, extends centraily arough the body 1 to a point just past the engine, to the piston rods of which 1t is crank connected in'the usual manner. o

A shaft 6 is ositioned in alinement with the shaft 4 and 1s end connected to the latter for rotation normally therefrom, by a pawl and ratchet coupling 7 the ratchet wheel 8 being secured to the engine shaft andthe parts of the-apparatus,

pawls 9 being carried by a disk 9 and the shaft 6, the pawls bein held in yielding contactwith the wheels y the springs 10, so that the shaft 6 is rotated clockwise when viewed from the front. The shaft 6 carries a pair of spaced disks 11 and 12 these having their inner faces provided with opposed spiral projections, as 13 in Fig, 12, this figure representing the disk 11, a similar projection being provided on the disk 12; a vertical shaft 14 carries a spur gear 15 the teeth onwhich are adapted-to engage the projection on either disk as the wheel is moved toward the same, the gear wheel 15 being revolved by the engagement of its teeth with the spiral projection on the disk. .The shaft 14 projects upwardly from the torpedo and is provided at its upper end with a worm gear 16 which is constantly in mesh with the gear wheels 17 and 18 on the shafts 19 and 20 which extend out laterally and are secured to the tips 21 and 22 respectively of the left and right wings of the torpedo.

The lower end of the shaft 14 is provided with a clock-wound spring 23, the end 24 ofwhich (Fig. 13) is secured to any suitable part of the structure, the spring serving to maintain the shaft 14 normally vertical and the gear wheel 15 out of. engagement with the disks 11 and 12, the spring also serving to return the wings to their normal position after they have been warped.

The shaft 14 is further provided, immediately above the spring 23, with an armature 25, and electro-magnets 26 and 27 are positioned to actuate the armature in either direction as either may be energized, to cause the engagement of the gear wheel 15 with either the disk' 11 or 12 as may be indicated.

The rear end of the body 1 is preferably tapered as shown in Fig. 1 and as is usual in such constructions, a horizontal rudder 28 being hinged at the point 29 to a suitable support 30 projecting from the end ofthe envelop, and a vertical rudder 31 is carried by a vertical shaft 32 stepped in a box 33 and suitably journaled for rotation'at the point 34 where it passes through the. envelop. The rudders conform to the usual practice in position and structure, 28 being the altitude control medim and 31 the steering medium.

a d a series of blocks, four in number,'arringed at equidistant points'around the gear 3 5, these being normally held out of contact with the gear as will be explained hereinafter, and provided on their inner faces with grooves adapted to receive the threads on.

the worm 35.

The vertically positioned screw blocks 36 and 37 control the altitude rudder- 28, and are connected therewith by -rods 38 at the top and 39 below, through the tiller 40 on the rudder. The lateral screw blocks 41 and 42 operate the vertical rudder 31, being by vertical members 46 and 47 respectively,

these being provided at their outer ends with wheels-48 and 49 adapted to receive between them the tracks 50 and 51 and to travel thereon, the tracks being maintained by bolts 52 in the one case and 53 in the other, which project inwardly from the stop blocks 54 and pass slidably through openings provided for them in their respective tracks. The bolts are provided with springs 55 on each held under tension by nuts on the endsof the bolts. Similarly, the lateral screw blocks 41- and 42 (Fig; 8) are carried by members 56 and 57 provided with wheels 58 and .59 within and 60 and 61 without the tracks 62 and 63 respectively. The wheels 58 and 59 being two in number, as also the inner wheels described in the previous case, provide bracing and stability-for the memtracks normally against the stop blocks 68" and 69.

Each of the tracks 50, 51, 62, and 63 is provided with a pair of armatures preferably positioned adjacent their ends, these being indicated as 70, 71, 72, and 73 pertaining to the tracks in the order given above.

A group of electro-magnets, four in numher, is positioned at each end of the worm gear 35, these being carried on frames having hub portions 74 encircling the shaft 6 and assisting to support the same, and arms 75 extending radially to the frame of the structure and secured thereto as shown.

The members of each group of electro-magnets are mounted on bases of nonconducting material as shown at 76 in Fig. 7, whereby they are insulated from the frames on which The rudder operating means comprises a worm gear 35. secured upon the shaft 6" they are mounted and from each other, and they are positioned radially so that a magnet is provided for each of the armatures carried by the rails; thus the electro-magnets 77 and 77*, one of each group, are opother as shown at a and 3 in Fig. 8, and it is clear that if any pair be energlzed the ef-.

' veniently positioned in'the body of the struc- 1 sides of t ture, operated b a wheel 82 in frictional contact with a similar wheel 83 carried by the shaft 6, and 84 indicates a storage battery" connected with the generator in the manner and for the purposes hereinafter explained.

It will be noted in Figs. 1,3, 4 and 5, that a wall 85 is shown forming a ring around the opening into the body of the vessel, which might be closed by a cover of glass or other suitable material, the ring 85 being formed from some material of good conducting properties except at the front and rear where vertical strips 86 and 87 of nonconductingvmaterial are introduced to divide the ring into two conducting zones 88 and 89 of equal area, the ring itself being of course insulated from the body of the vessel.

A pair of horizontal gimbal rings 90 and 91, connected one with n the other by the pivots 92 and 93, are suspended within the rin 85 by the pivots 94 and 95 (at right ang es to 92 and 93) which pass slidably through orlilenings provided for them in the e wall 85 adjacent the bottom thereof. The pivots 94 and 95, it will be obse'rved, are directed across the span of the vessel and they are of a length to. allow of a considerable lateral movement of the gimbal rings within the wall 85, springs 96 and 97 being attached to the ring 91 and to the wall of the vessel by which the said gimbal rings are held normally in central osition.

A bridge 98 crosses the inner gim a1 ring 90 and a central opening is provided in the bridge for the passage therethroug'h of a vertical shaft 99, the same being carried by a ball bearing collar 100 on the bridge to provide for the .free rotation of the shaft.

A disk 101 is suspended from the bottom 2 of theshaft 99by anarch 102 and above the arch is located an electrical conducting disk 103 in electrical connection with the shaft and arch which are both conductors, as well as the disk 101, the bridge 98, however being insulated from the disk 103 by the insulating'medium 104.

Above the bridge 96 an arm 105 is held by friction on the shaft 99, so that its positlon on theshaft may be changed by hand,

1 the arm being hollow and having an extension 106 projecting therefrom maintained in rubbing contact with the inner periphery of ring 85 by a coiled spring 107 indicated in dotted'lines in the interior of the arm (Fig. 4). A set screw 108 is rovided in the arm 105 by meansof whi the extension 106 earth, the

may be held firmly against the ring 85 to lock the apparatus or used to maintain the extension entirely out of contact with the ring.

109 indicates a compass card secured to the shaft 99 and forming a permanent part of the apparatus, and 110 is a magnetic com pass WlllCh may be removably placed on the point of the shaft 99 when it is desired to adjust the apparatus without waiting for the gyroscopes 'to self adjust themselves.

111 indicates" a gyroscope having a flywh'eel 112 mounted on a shaft or spindle 113 having its ends journaled in the lower parts 114 of the arch 102. 115 and 116 indicate two smaller gyroscopes having their spindles 117 and -*118"suitably supported in the plane of, andat right angles to the spindle 113 of the gyroscope 111, these being provided with friction wheels 119 and 120 respectivel adapted to contact with the rear side of t e fly-wheel 112 on the large gyroscope, the back of the said fly-wheel being shaped to receive them as shown in Fi 6. Thus the roscopes115 and 116 are drlven from the -wheel 112 of the gyroscope 111 and in opposite directions to each other, so that there can be no tendency toward a precessional movement on the part of these last,

their sole function being to maintain the horizontal plane of the disk 101 in the direction of their spindles. I

The gyroscope 111 is provided with an electric motor 121 by which it is rotated counter clock wise as viewed from the side on which themotor is fplaced, the-armature and commutator 122 o with the spindle 113 and the field being supported from the disk 101. i

The tendency of the roscope 111 is of course to maintain the orizontal plane of the disk 101 in the opposite direction to that provided for by the gyroscopes 115 and 116 so that the constancy of the plane of the disk is assured, but the gyroscope 111 being a single installation has the further tendency, as is well understood, to maintain its axis in approximate parallelism with axis of the golestofthe gyroscope 111 being controlled y the direction of its rotation: so that if the gyroscope 111 be rotated counter clockwise as stated .or in the same direction' as the rotation of the earth its poles will coincide approximatel thereof and the end of t e which the motor is placed will directed toward the north.

In the diagram, Fi 14, the shaft 6 although not shown is ing operated from the engine through the coupling 7, the dynamo 81 being driven therefrom as previously described, to.supply current for the various operations of the apparatus. From the dynamo the current p into the main circuit, this comprising a conductor 123 leadroscope on constantly with the poles incidentwith the poles of the said scope.

Thus the electromagnets assist in main-' ing to a pair of switches 124 and 125 with both of which it connects, the switch 125 being adapted to contact with the point 126 in connection with the conductor 127 which in turn connectswith a brush 128 supported from the bridge 98 in rubbing contact with the disk 103, a good conductor, the current gyrotaining the parallelism of the axis of the gyroscope 111 with that of the earth.

The magnets 129 and 130 are connected with the disk 101' by a conductor 132 and i with the brush 133 on the motor 121 by a conductor 134. -motor by the conductor 135 and brush 136 The. current leaves the supported from the bridge 102, which is in contact with a ring 137 secured in the glmbal rmg 90 in contact with the pivots gimbal ring 91,. a good conductor, thence passing out by the pivot 94 to the conductor 138.

' the pivot 94 in Fig. 14, the conductor 138 is shown connected directly with the gimbal ring 91 1n that figure, which does not of course alter the course of the current in any contact members 150 my) a The conductor 138 is in constant connect1on w1th the L shaped movable arm 139 of a switch-140 through which it assesto the point 141, thence passing' by t e conductor 142 back to the dynamo 81 to complete the circuit. r v

The switch arm.'124 previously-mentioned,

is adapted to contact with the point 143 connected w1th the conductor 144 running to means of breaking the circuits when the apparatus is cut out of operation.

(To operate the wlng warping apparatus and 151 are secured rigidly to the sides of the vessel at points diametrically opposite the center of the disk 101, lnsulatmg'material being interposed be- (Owing to the difficulty of showing tween the members and the body as at 152 in both cases. The contact members it will be noted, are shaped to engaged the upper edges of the disk 101 upon a disturbance of their relation thereto. I

A conductor 153 connects the contact member 150 with the electro-magnet 27 and a similar conductor 154 the contact member 151 with the electro-magnet 26, the magnets 27 and 26 being connected with the main circuit wire 127 by wires 155 and 150mspectively. Thus it will be seen that as the disk 101 is freely suspended and its horizontality maintained by the action of the gyroscopes, a rollingmotion/of the vessel in counter-clockwise direction as viewed from the front, would cause the contact member 150 to engage the disk 101 thus bringing the electro-magnet 27 into circuit through the conductors 153 and 155 the energy of the magnet being exerted to draw.

the armature 25 and shaft 14 toward it and the teeth on the spur wheel 15 into engagement with the spiral projection on the disk 12 on the shaft 6, which being opposed to that 13 shown on the disk 11 in Fig. 12 would operate to revolve the shaft 14 clockwise as viewed from above. the worm gear 16 at the topthereof operatmg the 92 and 93 through which it passes into the gears 17 and 18 in opposite directions, that .17 moving clockwise as viewed from the center and warping the wing 21, through the shaft 19 upward and that 18 warping the wing 22 downward. The contact between the member150 and the disk 101 is of course immediately broken by return of the vessel to its former position.

In like manner, should the vessel pass from the horizontal in the opposite dlrection the magnet 26 is energizedv through contact of themember 151 with the" disk 101, the'operations as described being duplicated through engagement of the spur gear 15 with the disk 11 onthe shaft 6, the a shaft 14 being rotated in the opposite direction this time and the operation serving to 1 warp the wing tip 22 up,"and that 21 down. As previously mentioned, -the gimbal ring 91, is provided with springs 96 and 97 runnin t0 the sides of the vessel, these being su the ring 85 under normal conditions: )f however the vessel should take-asudden curve the springs 96- and 97 would allow of the lateral movement of the apparatus, due

? ber. toward which it was propelled thus bringing the warping apparatus into action c ently under tension to maintain 'the gimbal ring and gyroscope apparatus suspended therefrom in central relation-to .to' bank the plane and stabilize the move ment of the vessel, the springs returning the apparatus to central position when the connection has been completed.

affect the steering operations a reference to both members of the unit of which it forms a part.

The magnets 7 9 and 80 Fig. 14) control the rudder 31 by which the vessel is steered upon a predetermined course, the magnet 79 being connected in circuit with the side 89 of the ring 85 by the conductor 157, and with the line 127 of'the main circuit by the conductor 158. In like manner, the magn 80 is connected'in circuit with the side 88 of the ring 85 by a conductor 159 and with the line 127 by the conductor 160.

From mention previously made, it will be understood that the gyroscopic apparatus, owing to the manner of its suspension, its free 'rotatability and the functions ascribed to the large gyroscope assisted by the electromagnets 129 and 130, practically constitutes a gyro-compass having its point N constantly directed toward the north, that is to say, after a reasonable time allowance after starting, to allow it to steady itself. This being the case and if it is desired to guide the vessel upon a course due east the arm 105 is moved on the shaft 99 until it registers due east on the gyro-compass card 109, the extension 106 of the arm being placed in rubbing contact with the inner periphery of the ring 85. These adjustments are of course made while the vessel is on the ground, as that under description carries no passengers. The position of the body of the vessel when starting does not When the vessel leaves the ground, should it so happen that theextension 106 of the arm is-in contact with the side 88 of the ring 85 the electro-magnet 80 will be energized to bring the screw block 41 into engagement with the moving worm gear 35 on the shaft 6 the rudder 31 being thereby operated to swing the nose of the vessel in a circle until the insulating strip 86 encounters the point of the extension 106, the circuit to the electromagnet 80' being thereby broken and the rudder released to swing back by air pressure to its'neutral position, should the swing of the vessel cause the strip 86 to pass the extension 106 a circuit through the side 89 of the ring would be closed and the electromagnet 7 9 energized to operate the rudder 31 in the opposite direction through the screw block 42 and worm 35. Thus over movement of the vessel in either direction is automatically, corrected and the same maintained on a direct course. I

The altitude control comprises a pair of contact members 161 and 162 positioned directly in front of the disk 101 and spaced apart to receive the front of the disk between them, the contacts being carried by an uprightv 163 and insulated from each other and the upright by the insulation 164.

The upright 163 is carried by a float 164* in a tank 165 having a faucet 166, the tank 165 being connected with a second tank 167 by a pipe 168 having in its length a needle valve 169, the tank 167 being positioned to deliver the liquid contained therein to the tank 165 through the pipe 168 and the valve .169 adapted to regulate the flow of the said li uid.

e relative position of the upright 163 to the disk 101 is maintained by a pair of radius rods 170 having their inner ends rotatably carried on the gimbal-ring supporting pms 94 and 95, and their outer ends pivotally secured to the upright 163.

The vertical member 163 may have a lateral branch 163 to allow of the connection as follows-A member 171 having the arms 172. and 173 at right angles to each other, is pivoted at the point 174 to a suitable su port, a member 175 being pivoted to the 0 set 163" at the point 176 and to the end of the arm 172 to connect the same. A horizontal rod 177 is pivotally connected to the end of the vertical mm 173 of the member 171 and to the indicating finger 178 of an inclinometer having a vertical handle 179 pivoted at 180 on the shaft 181 secured to the indicating finger 178 and passing out through the side of the vessel to carry a vane 182. The handle 179 may be set at any desired point in the are 183, and a spring 184 is secured to the handle and to a clip 185 (Fig. 3) on the side of the rod 177, the spring serving to yieldingly maintain the indicating finger 178 in alinement with the handle 179. The contact 161 is connected with the electro-magnet 77 by the conductor 186, the magnet being connected with the line 127 by the conductor 187 and the contact 162 is connected with the electro-magnet 7 8 by the line 188, the

magnet being connected with the line 127 by the conductor 189. These magnets operate similarly to those previously described with reference to the rudder 31, to bring the screw blocks 36 and 37 into engagement with the moving worm 35 upon contact of the members 161 and 162 with the disk 101.

In practice, if the handle 17 9 be placed forward of the center of the are 183 the contacts 161 and 162 will be depressed and the upper, 161, be closer to the disk than the lower and positioned to contact more quickly with the said disk, the adjustment of the handle regulating the amount of the incline upon which the vessel will travel, the reverse being the case if the handle be placed at the rear of the center of the arc to raise the contacts.

The vane 182 serves by'air pressure to maintain the spring 184 under tension, but

should the nose of the craft rise to a danerous degree bringing. about a lessening of t e speed of the vessel, the vane would relax pressure on thespring 184 allowing the contacts 161 and 162 to rise and the latter to contact with the under side of the disk 101 thus operating the rudder 28 downwardly "to return the vessel to a level keel.

mostly of valuein scientific investigations.

-mined rate from the tank 167 to the tank 165, as the lower tank fills the float 164 therein will rise and with it the contacts 161 and 162, the rising of these operatingtolower the rudder 28 as previously described resulting in a change of direction on the part of the vessel from an upward incline to level and then to a downward inchne. 4

It will be further understood that if in connection with the tank control the extension 106 of the arm 105 be made rigid against the ring 85 by means of the set screw 108, the vessel may be made to describe an ascending spiral until the amount of liquid in the lower tank passes a given point after which the vessel will return-on a descending s iral to the .point from which it started,

wind permitting) this function being Before starting the vessel the contacts 161v and 162 are supposed to be in raised posi tion being maintained there by the position of the end 190 of the governor 191 which engages the under side of the angularly positioned member 192 secured to the upright 163. When the engine is started the governor'191, through the expansion of its springs, retracts its end 190 thus allowing the contacts 161 and 162 to descend intoneutral position. This feature is of greater value in connection with aeroplanes than vessels of the torpedo type, but as the apparatus is applicableto both it is introduced. As before stated, the shaft 6? is rotated by a pawl andratchet cou ling 7 positive in the direction of; the sha '6 so that the latter may be operated independently of the engine. The outer case 192 of the couplin is. secured'to the shaft 4 and extends aroun the operative parts of the coupling to carry the governor 191, the latter operating with the engine. The switch 140' comprises an immovable ,base 193 having uprights 194 apertured for the passage therethrough of the reduced portions 195 and 196 of the movable portion 197, the portion 196 being encircled by a spring 198 exert" g its pressure a to maintain the end of the po tlOIl 195 yieldingly against the end 190 of the governor 191.

Whenthe engine is in operation the switch parts stand as shown by the full lines in Fig. 14, but should the engine for any reason cease to operate and the governor 191 straighten out, the switch will be thrown, the L shaped arm 139 being carried to the position shown by the dotted lines 199 and the vertical-arm 200 to the position indicated' by the dotted lines 201. By these movements connection between the conductors 138 and 142 is broken and connection between the lines 144.and 142 established through the arm 200 and branch 202, the

battery 84 being thus made a part of the main circuit and adapted to drive the dynamo 81 as a motor to continue the operation of the shaft 6 and therethrough the various operations of the apparatus. 1 It will be noted that the straighteningout of the governor operates to raise the contacts 161 and 162 thereby causing the vessel to volplane gently toward the earth.

From the foregoing description 'it' will be seen that the apparatus as described combines all the necessary features to successfully steer and stabilize air craft of the types mentioned without human intervention after starting, so that in case of a passenger carrying craft the operator would be 4 able to devote all his attention to other matters, which might be ofgreat importance in wartime. The presence of a second person in the ship also becomes unnecessary, apoint of value in the matter of weight carried.

- It will of course be understood that this specificationis descriptive rather than exhaustive and that I claim as mine all such modifications of the apparatus as could rightly be considered as equivalents of the features shown or as coming within the pirit of the invention or within the-scope of the appended claims. 7

Having thus fully described my said invention,',what I claim is- 1. In an air craft, the combination of stabilizing means, power means to operate the stabilizing means,'electrically operated .the contacts to change'their position with reference. to the disk.

2. In an air craft, the combination of .means to control'the operation of the stabi-y/l2o lizing means,fcontaotsparallehwiththelongi stabilizing means, power means to operate the stabilizing means, electrically operated means to control the operation of the stabilizing means, contacts parallel with the longitudinal axis of the air craft, a suspended disk in spaced relation to which the contacts are positioned, a plurality of gyroscopes arranged to maintain the constancy of the plane of the disk, and air pressure stabilizin operated means to automatically change the position of the contacts with reference to the disk.

.3. In an air craft, the combination of the stabilizing means, electrically operated means to control the operation of the stabilizing means, a suspended disk, gyroscopic means to maintain the constancy of the plane of the disk, contacts positioned above and below the disk parallel with the longitudinal axis of the air craft, tipping of the air craft causing a contact to ear against the disk to close a circuit to stabilize the air craft, and means to graduall and automatically move the contacts vertically to cause a contact to bear against the disk to close a circuit to change the altitude of the air craft longitudinal contacts in relation to the disk,

5. An air craft having an engine, a governor operated from the engine and altitude changing means operated by the governor, said means comprising a horizontal rudder, power means to operate the rudder, electricallyoperated means to control the operation of the rudder, a suspended disk, gyroscopicmeans by which the constancy of the plane of the disk is maintained, contacts sltioned above and below the disk para el with the longitudinal axis of the air craft,

said contacts being carried by a' member having operative connection with the governor to raise or'lower the contacts in ac-- cordanw with the movements thereof.

6. an air craft, the combination of steering means, power means to operate the steering means, electrically 0 rated means to, control the operation '0 the steering means, fixed contact members on the air craft, an insulating member separating the ends of the contact members parallel with the longitudinal axis of the air craft,

scopic apparatus ded adjacent the means, powermeans to operate.

contact members, the said gyroscopic apparatus being arranged to maintain its axis ing between the contact members, a radial arm carried by the vertical member and r movable thereon to a predetermined line of flight, the said arm having a portion adapted to contact with the insulating member in normal flight and to engage the contact members upon the vessel veering from a direct course, thereby closing a clrcuit to operate the steering means. 7 e e r 7. In an air craft, he combination of steering means, power means to operate the steering means, electrically o erated means to control the operation 0 the steering means, a pair of curved contact members 0- sitioned to form a ring and insulating strips separating the ends of the contact members in parallel alinement with the longitudinal axis of the air craft; a vertical shaft normally centrally positioned with reference to the contact members and having a radial arm movable thereon to the line of flight and an extension on'the arm and means to maintain the extension in rubbing contact with the inner periphery of the ring; a Cardan ring from which the vertical shaft is rotatably supported and a gyroscopic unit suspended from the lower end of the shaft, and means whereby the longitudinal plane of the gyroscopic unit is maintained in approzlzlimate parallelism with the axis of t e eart 8. In an air craft, the combination of steering means, power means to operate the steering means, electrically o erated means to control the operation 0 the steering means and means to actuate the electrically operated means, said last named means comprising a pair of fixed semi-circular contact members, vertical insulatinfg stri s interposed between the rear and orwar ends of the contact members in parallel alinement with the longitudinal axis of the air craft whereby the contacts are isolated from each other, a member suspended between the contacts, a cohtactor adjustably carried by the a suspended member normally in rubbing contact with one of'tlieinsulatintgl strips, gyroscopic means to maintain e 'horlzontal plane of thesuspended member, and means to maintain the constancy of the longitudinal plane of the su nded member.

9. In an air cm y, the, combination of steering means, power means to' operate the steering means, electricall operated means to control operation of t e steering means, curved contac'ts fixedly secured to the air craft, insulating strips separating the rear and forward ends of the contacts in parallel alinement with the longitudinal axis of the air craft, a ro-electro-magnetic compass suspended be ow the contacts having means adjustably connected therewith adapted to normally contact with one of the insulating strips and adapted to engage the contact members upon swerving of the craft from a direct course to close a circuit to steer the vessel back to the. direct course.

' 10. -In' an air craft, the combination of steering means, power means to operate the steering means, electrically operated means to control operation of the steering means, curved contacts laterally positioned with reference to the longitudinal axis of the air craft and having their ends approaching each other, an insulating strip contacts, and means to immovably lock-the extension against one of the said contacts to steer the air craft in a circle. 4

11. In an air craft, the combination of steering and stabilizing means, electrically operated means to control the steering and stabilizing means, an engine, a shaft normally operated from the engine, a dynamo driven from the shaft, means to close circuits to operate the electrically operated means from the dynamo, a storage battery loaded from the dynamo and switch means operated by stoppage of the engine to change circuits to operat'e'the dynamo from the battery.:

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

-GUSTAVE NORDSTR OM.

WitIESSgS CoNKnim 

